Technology & Innovation: Staying Ahead
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION: STAYING AHEAD ALUMNI YEARBOOK 20I7 TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION: STAYING AHEAD STAYING INNOVATION: & TECHNOLOGY ALUMNI YEARBOOK 2017 ALUMNI YEARBOOK 2017 WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMEN Mahmood Lone and Boyan Wells – Co-Chairmen, Alumni Network Technology and innovation are the themes of this edition of our yearbook and permeate many of our articles. But we’re a network of people, so you’ll also find many stories celebrating the successes of fellow alumni around the world. ALLENOVERY.COM/ALUMNIYEARBOOK TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION: STAYING AHEAD WELCOME Welcome to your 2017 Alumni Yearbook A&O colleagues who haven’t yet joined the Alumni Network, or if you have suggestions This year we’ve seen the pace of technological change accelerate and the profound for future alumni activities, please contact us at [email protected]. impact it’s had on every sector, including the legal industry. To explore this further, We also conducted our alumni survey in early 2017. Thank you to everyone we’ve made technology and innovation the theme of this, the 12th edition of the who took part. Your feedback on what we do well and how we can improve is Alumni Yearbook. In its pages you can read about how Allen & Overy is responding invaluable in helping us shape the future of the network. The results were very to these changes and embracing technological advances. For example through Fuse, positive and an important reminder that the collegiate nature of A&O is crucial A&O’s new tech innovation space in London, tech companies, our own team of in what we do. Most respondents for example, cited the people with whom they lawyers and A&O’s clients collaborate to explore, develop and test legal, regulatory worked as the high point of their time at A&O, while more than half of respondents and deal-related solutions using new technologies. meet up with former A&O colleagues more than twice a year. In addition, more Technology is crucial to the growth plans of our office in Belfast and our global than 90% of respondents said they felt a sense of goodwill towards the firm. Litigation practice, and both are featured in this edition. We also hear from two of We hope our Alumni Network activities and events go some way towards helping our alumni who have forged successful careers in new tech companies, and two you maintain these relationships and allow you to build your own professional network others who published books in 2017, drawing on their personal interest in the future within the A&O and alumni community. of science and technology. Finally, we are delighted that the 2016 Alumni Yearbook received an ‘Award Additionally, you’ll find articles on War Child and Justice Without Borders, of Excellence’ at the Institute of Internal Communications Awards 2017. This was two charities A&O is supporting. very much down to the hard work and ingenuity of Stella Ekkeshis, Jenny Enever and Pauline McFerran who, together now with Jo, make up our team. We are A year of growth very grateful for all their efforts in helping us continue to grow and develop It’s been another busy year for the Alumni Network. The network continues to grow – our Alumni Network. membership passed 10,000 earlier this year – and we are also delighted to welcome We hope you enjoy this year’s edition of the yearbook, and look forward to an Jo Hughes to our team. Jo will be focusing on liaising with our Client Relationship exciting 2018 for the Alumni Network. Management team and bespoke events. Many of you attended the Global Alumni Reunion, our biggest yet with more With best wishes than 1,400 attendees in 13 locations around the world. We’ve also held a number Mahmood and Boyan of class reunions, bringing together trainee groups 15 or 20 years from when they Co-Chairmen, Alumni Network started at A&O. We want to build on these successes, so if you know of any former A&O’s Alumni team Stella Ekkeshis Jenny Enever Alumni Manager Alumni Manager Joanna Hughes Pauline McFerran Alumni Manager Senior Alumni and Communications Assistant TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION: STAYING AHEAD 01 ALUMNI YEARBOOK 2017 TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION: STAYING AHEAD Technology is transforming our lives. It supports us increasingly in everything we do. It encourages and enables innovation in ways scarcely imaginable a few short years ago, inspiring ever-greater creativity in what we do and how we do it. A&O is a global leader in its embrace of technology in the legal sector. In doing so, the firm is at the forefront of the change evident in the wider corporate landscape as automation, connectivity and ‘intelligent’ systems become the new norm. This year’s Alumni Yearbook offers insights into some of the exciting things the firm is doing to harness the potential of technology for clients’ benefit. It also highlights the achievements of A&O alumni who are using technology in commercial, humanitarian and even literary pursuits. 04 NATHANIEL MANGUNSONG In the thick of things at one of WIM & ANDREW Indonesia’s most exciting A&O’s year has been newsworthy, if less tech start-ups. dramatic than events unfolding around us. 18 10 FUSE Success depends on nurturing a true spirit of collaboration. 02 CONTENTS 26 GLOBAL LITIGATION Aiming high with plans to consolidate our Litigation practice into a market leader. 38 SPOTLIGHT ON BELFAST… 22 A&O’s Belfast office has made its mark on the firm and how it serves clients. VEENAY SHAH Insights into how technology is changing the way we practise law. 30 ABI SILVER & SHANKARI CHANDRAN The plots thicken as alumnae authors publish tech-driven books. 44 RESCUING CHILDHOOD Working to improve the life chances of Syrian refugee children. 50 ALUMNI NETWORK BENEFITS 48 52 IN MEMORIAM TECHNOLOGY TAKES LEGAL AID GLOBAL 54 INDEX/CREDITS Using technology to provide access to legal aid for victims of trafficking and labour exploitation. 56 STAY CONNECTED TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION: STAYING AHEAD 03 ALUMNI YEARBOOK 2017 INTERVIEW WITH WIM DEJONGHE In the year since Andrew Ballheimer became A&O’s Managing Partner and Wim Dejonghe moved up to be Senior Partner, the word ‘Brexit’ became an ever-present part of the UK’s news cycle, Donald Trump moved into the White House and Apple launched two new iPhones. It’s been a similarly newsworthy, if less dramatic year at A&O. 04 TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION: STAYING AHEAD INTERVIEW WITH WIM AND ANDREW ANDREW BALLHEIMER You’ve been in your leadership roles for 18 months now. How has it been Wim: I would agree with that. You’re never off duty. In terms of uncertainty, and was it as expected? it’s reminded me of my first year as Managing Partner when we had the global Andrew: I have to say, it’s not been at all as I expected. I had been co-head of the financial crisis. Corporate practice for more than six years, and I assumed it was like that, but bigger, but of course it isn’t. There’s a consistent intensity with this job. In the past there might Andrew: It’s a volatile, uncertain world. We’ve done extremely well but, as a business, have been peaks and troughs, but this job is relentless – but in a good way! we can sometimes feel insecure. I feel we need to take a breath and realise that we’re We operate in a competitive environment where there is also pressure to perform. actually situated very strongly in the legal market. Inevitably this includes ensuring that our bottom line is at least as good as our peers’, if not better. There are myriad decisions to make every day. And it’s all against a backdrop of incredible change, with Trump, Brexit and a volatile market. TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION: STAYING AHEAD 05 ALUMNI YEARBOOK 2017 Following on from that, A&O has had a record year in terms of profits (up 27%). What do you attribute this to and how do you plan to continue this success? Wim: It’s been an interesting year. Brexit really increased anxiety. Within that uncertain environment, we’ve outperformed the market and the nervousness has calmed down a bit. We’ve had to concentrate on keeping calm and being on top of what the business is doing. The stellar performance across the board has brought confidence into every practice area. “We don’t take our position for granted, Andrew: Yes, this time last year we were saying, “Our model is a hedged business. but I think if you stick to those core Yes, the future’s uncertain, but we are diversified and well hedged. Stay close to our qualities – being collaborative, staying clients and our firm will be successful.” People hoped it was true, and a year on, that’s close to clients and maintaining a hedged been proven to be the case. It really is a well hedged and resilient business with fantastic people. business model – you can go a long way.” Wim: We stay close to the clients, maintain the highest standards of quality and service, and challenge ourselves on the way we provide those services, such as through Advanced Delivery, which includes the Legal Services Centre (LSC) in Belfast, Peerpoint and aosphere. We don’t take our position for granted, but I think if you stick to those core qualities – being collaborative, staying close to clients and maintaining a hedged business model – you can go a long way. What sets us apart from our peers? Andrew: It’s really the breadth of the offering across our product range in Corporate, Litigation, Banking and Capital Markets, and the fact that we are equally strong across all those areas.